Method and apparatus for the improved combustion of fuels



April 30, 1963 YUKICHI ASAKAWA 3,087,472

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE IMPROVED COMBUSTION 'OF FUELS Filed March30. 1961 3 Sheets-Shae t 1 COMBUSTION TIME IN SECONDS FOR 6 6.6.

8. HEAVY OIL SOLID ALCOHOL LALCOHOL KEROSENE 20 P LIGHT OIL lo ,4.GASOLINE 0 I 5 4 J lb POTENTIIANL AEAELECTRODE- INVENTOR I YUKICHI ASAAWA Fig. 2 BY AGE/VT April 30, 1963 YUKICHI ASAKAWA 3,087,472 METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR THE IMPROVED COMBUSTION OF FUELS Filed March 50, 1961 3Sheets-Sheet 2 COMBUSTION TIME IN SECONDS FOR 6 C. C.

GASOLINE E.M.F. OF APPLIED POTENTIAL IN K.

Fig.3

comausnon TIME 20 IN MINUTES FOR 20 GR. COAL (2o MESH) L5 o 2 4 e 8 l0E.M.F. OF APPLIED POTENTIAL YUKICHI ASAKAWA INVENTOR- lN K. V. BY H94AGE/VT A ril 30, 1963 YUKlCHI ASAKAWA 3,087,472 METHOD AND APPARATUS FORTHE IMPROVED COMBUSTION OF FUELS Filed March 30, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3Fig. 6

Fig.8 A 32 INVENTOR. YUKICHI ASAKAWA AGE/VT United States Patent Office3,087,472 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 3,087,472 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THEIMPROVED COMBUSTION F FUELS Yukichi Asakawa, 29 Nakamaru-Machi,Itabashi-ku,

. Tokyo, Japan Filed Mar. 30, 1961, Ser. No. 99,393 Claims. (Cl. 1231)This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the improvedcombustion of fuels. The invention may be applied to solid, liquid orgaseous fuels.

An object of the invention is the provision of a method and means forcomplete combustion of fuels such as coal, brown coal, crude petroleumoil, heavy petroleum oil, light petroleum oil, kerosene, gasoline, coalgas, natural gas, or a mixture of finely divided solid fuel with air oroxygen.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a method and meansof improving combustion in diverse devices such as. internal combustionmotors, internal com- :bustion turbines, boilers, blast furnaces,cupolos, flat furnaces, tempering furnaces, ore roasters, rotaryfurnaces, air pre-heating furnaces, etc.

It is an object of the invention to render combustion complete indevices as above mentioned, to increase the heating power of low caloriefuels, and reduce the production of exhausts containing smoke orpoisonous gases.

Another feature of the invention is thatthe construction of theapparatus is simple and the consumption of electricity is small, andmaintenance is low.

These objects are attained by applying a high electric potential to thefuel, to the mixture of fuel and air or oxygen or in .the combustionchamber.

The above and other objects will become apparent from a consideration ofthe following specification taken with the accompanying drawings, and inwhich like parts are represented by like characters of reference.

In the drawings:'

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of an apparatus using theprinciple of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the relation between the time and thepotential for burning a predetermined amount of various hydrocarbonfuels;

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the result of varying the height of anelectrode above the burning fuel and the of the applied potential;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relation between the burning time and thewhen burning pulverized coal;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of an internal combustion motorhaving the invention applied thereto;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic cross section on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a modification of the invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic representation, in vertical section, of theinvention applied to a boiler.

In FIG. 1, 10 is a vessel containing a fuel. A transformer 12 has itssecondary adjustably connected through a contact 12 to an electrode 13.This electrode 13 is placed at a height H above the level 14 of the fuelin the vessel 10. The height H may be adjusted as conditions warrant andas may be seen in FIG. 3. The flame 15 results from burning the fuel inair or oxygen. In this experiment the height H is kept constant, as thefuel burns. The graph in FIG. 2 shows the results of tests with severalliquid fuels with various applied E.M.F.s, plotting against the time ofburning of 6 cc. of fuel. From approximately 2K volts up, the burningperiod is materially reduced.

When burning heavy petroleum B, solid alcohol or alcohol with an appliedpotential of '9 to 10K volts the time is reduced to about /5 to Me. Withkerosene or light petroleum oil at 4.5K volts applied potential the timeis about and at 7K volts with gasoline the time is about s; all timesreferred to zero potential burning. At the high voltages the flamebecomes shorter and spreads wider.

I have also tried the device burning 6 cc. of gasoline in the vessel 10and the electrode 13 placed 5 mm., 10 mm., and 50 mm. above the fuel.The results are shown in the graphin FIG. 3. Then with two electrodes 13and 16 held respectively at 10 mm. and mm. above the fuel, I obtainedthe lowest curve in FIG. 3. These curves show that the closer theelectrode is placed toward the fuel, the shorter the burning period.Here it is reduced to about that of zero potential at a potential ofabout 6.5K volts.

The graph in FIG. 4 is the result of burning 2 0 gm. of powdered coal,of about 20 mesh, in the vessel 10 and maintaining the height H (FIG. 1)at 5 mm. As shown the combustion time is reduced to about /3 that atzero potential under a potential of 10K volts. In this test particles ofcoal sparked and no smoke was visible. In another test with theelectrode in coal, the results were substantially the same.

It is believed that the above resultsoccur for the following reasons:when a high E.M.F., is applied to an electrode inserted in a flame, asin the above examples, either positive or negative ions are repelled,the negative or positive ions being attracted to the electrode. Thechanging cycle of the A.C. causes agitation and the ions mix soperfectly with the air that even the base of the flame becomes oxidizingand the temperature increases materially. When D.C. is applied, theagitation is less and the combustion period is longer.

Although the above results were obtained with atmospheric air and A.C.potentials, it has been found that the same results are produced in thecombustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, a forced draftboiler and in many kinds of furnaces when the applied potential is D.C.

An alternative arrangement is shown in FIG. 1 in which poles 17 and 18may be fed an A.C. potential from the transformer 11' or in which thesepoles may be magnets. The flame 15 is thus subjected additionally to ahigh potential from without, or to a magnetic field. The addition of thepotential at the poles 17 and 18 to the ionizing potential at 13 causesthe mixing of fuel and air to occur rapidly, homogeneously andcompletely. The same results obtain when a spiral A.C. is passed throughmagnets in the location 17, 18.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 I show the invention applied to an internal combustionmotor. An insulated plug 21 is placed in the cylinder head 20 and theelectrode 22 is connected to the secondary of the transformer 23, theother terminal of which is grounded. An A.C. potential of above 1,000volts is applied to the electrode 22. The arcuate electrodes 25, 26 areplaced outside the cylinder 24 and are connected respectively to theterminals of the secondary of transformer 23'. The normal mixture of airand gasoline drawn into the combustion chamber of the cylinder 24 issubjected to the alternating ionizing potential which agitates themixture. The alternate repulsion and attraction also is produced by theelectrodes 25, 26. The mixture is so agitated that the gasoline ismicronized and mixes homogeneously with the air during this action. Whenthe mixture is compressed and ignited, though the flame would normallyhave the positive and negative ions in balance, ionization as describedcauses agitation and the further agitation by the electrodes 25, 26causes the as yet unburned particles to mix thoroughly and to be burnedcompletely.

In FIG. 7 I show a modification of the invention of FIGS. 5 and 6wherein three arcuate electromagnets 27, 28 and 29 are applied outsidethe cylinder 24 and are supplied with a high potential three phase A.C.This rotating magnetic field together with the ionizing potential fromthe electrode 22 micronizes the fuel particles and the agitation androtation causes thorough mixing of the air and gasoline and results inan absence of unburned fuel particles. The combustion is accelerated andis complete. The same applies to the form of FIGS. 5 and 6. The abovenoted results obtain with 2 cycle, 4 cycle or diesel engines, withpetroleum engines or internal combustion turbines. In all these casesthe combustion velocity increases and the fuel burns completely. Theexhaust gas contains no residual unburned fuel and is colorless. Theoutput is increased and no exhaust smoke is emitted to be a source ofsmog. Good results obtain when the E.M.F.s at the electrode in thecylinder head and the electrode or electromagnet outside the cylinderare equal. The applied potentials are preferable above 1K volt andnormally 5 to K volts. The effects do not appear to increase atpotentials in excess of 50K volts.

In FIG. 8, I show the application of this invention to a coal firedboiler. In the combustion chamber 30 I place electrodes 31 and 33 whichare connected to an ionizing potential preferably in excess of 1,000volts. This ionizing potential applied in the flame agitates byalternate repulsion and attraction and cause a thorough mixing of airand fuel. The temperature of the coal increases, the combustion iscomplete to the base of the flame. The combustion velocity is increasedand the combustion capacity and evaporating capacity of the boiler isincreased. Should any smoke be emitted and pass to the flue 32, it willbe caused to burn by the agitation caused by the electrode 33. If therebe insufficient air, secondary air may be applied in the flue 32 and theheated air exhaust gas mixture may be used to preheat charging air orcharging water of the boiler. Through this operation substantially nosmoke is generated and the capacity of the boiler is greatly increased.Furthermore the combustion quality and quantity of low calorie coal ismaterially increased so that such coal may be used in the same manner ashigh calorie coal. In the case of a boiler of the type referred to themay be from 1K volt to 5K volts, though with suitable electrodearrangement potentials of 8 to 10K volts may be used. With suitableelectrode disposition in such devices as internal combustion turbines,blast furnaces, cupolas, fiat furnaces, tempering furnaces, oreroasters, rotary furnaces or air preheating furnaces, etc., and when thesizes of such devices is small, external high voltage poles or magnetsare placed thereabout, combustion is improved and made moresubstantially perfect. The temperature within the device is increasedand its efficiency is improved. There is an absence of smoke. In allsuch cases the consumption of electricity is very small.

Having now described my invention in its preferred form and in severaluses thereof, I desire to be understood that modifications may be madewithin the skill of the art and the scope of the appended claims.

A related application, Serial No. 99,529, was filed in my name on March30, 1961.

I claim:

1. The improved method of combustion which consists in supplying amixture of oxygen containing gaseous fluid and fuel to a combustionchamber, applying a high potential in the combustion chamber to ionizethe mixture and imposing a rotating magnetic field on the mixture. 7

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the rotating magnet field is providedby means of 3 phase A.C.

3. An apparatus for improved combustion comprising a combustion chamber,means for supplying a gaseous oxygen containing fluid, means forsupplying a fuel to said combustion chamber, at least one electrodeplaced in the combustion chamber and connected to a source of highpotential to ionize the fuel and gas mixture, a plurality ofelectromagnets outside the combustion chamber and closely adjacentthereto said magnets being supplied with a high potential 3-phase A.C.to produce a rotating magnet field about the combustion chamber.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein the first mentionedpotential is on the order of 1K volt to K volts.

5. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein the combustion chamber ispart of an internal combustion engine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. THE IMPROVED METHOD OF COMBUSTION WHICH CONSISTS IN SUPPLYING AMIXTURE OF OXYGEN CONTAINING GASEOUS FLUID AND FUEL TO A COMBUSTIONCHAMBER, APPLYING A HIGH POTEN-